


Head Canon 6: Q Plays Piano BEAUTIFULLY

by AtoTheBean



Series: Ato's Head Canons [6]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: 007 Fest, M/M, Music Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 19:00:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19729837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtoTheBean/pseuds/AtoTheBean
Summary: This head canon relates specifically to the "a price most dear" 'verse, and contains spoilers for that story. If you haven't read it yet and hate spoilers, you may want to head there first.It also fills anon prompt fill: write something inspired by any song





	Head Canon 6: Q Plays Piano BEAUTIFULLY

**Author's Note:**

> This head canon relates specifically to the "a price most dear" 'verse, and contains spoilers for that story. If you haven't read it yet and hate spoilers, you may want to head there first.
> 
> It also fills anon prompt fill: write something inspired by any song

  


The first time James hears Q play piano, he’s clearly not meant to.

Most of the time there are stacks of books on the piano bench and random papers on the music stand. James hasn’t even been sure that Q still plays, despite the baby grand taking a significant amount of real estate in the small cottage. He never seems to clear it up enough to get to it.

Then again, they’ve been busy. James has moved in — there’s a place for his car in the garage and Q cleared out the second bedroom upstairs for James to use as a personal study Not that he spends time there, but at least he was able to move in some of his things. But they haven’t really gotten used to being in each other’s presence all the time. Haven’t gotten truly, comfortably domestic yet. And even though James has been curious about the piano, there always seems to be more important things to be doing. Things they can do together. Things they can do in bed.

So he’s surprised upon coming home after his first mission to hear the faint sound of music coming from the cottage. He’d missed Q terribly and driven through the night to get home early as a surprise, wondering if Q had missed him, too (he’s still nothing but professional over comms). But upon hearing the music, he pauses, and instead of rushing to the house, makes his way from the garage and across the wood slowly, wondering if it’s actually Q playing, or a recording.

It’s Chopin. He’s almost sure of it. And he has a sudden flashback to standing outside Skyfall Lodge, gazing out over the moors and listening to his mother play through the window… if not this piece, then a similar one. It’s one of the [Nocturnes](https://youtu.be/tV5U8kVYS88), he thinks, romantic, with a quiet sort of longing that borders on pain. And he’s struck by two discordant feelings. First, he wonders how long Q has played this piece — since it was written in the 1800s? — to be able to infuse it with so much longing. And second, looking through the trees into the window of the little cottage and seeing Q at the piano, he can almost smell the moors, and that feeling of _home_ that he never thought he’d recapture after his parents’ death strikes him to his core.

The music transitions to a new piece as he continues his approach, and It’s… well, it’s intense. Beautiful, but full of… not melancholy exactly. There’s too much drive for that. It feels like a mission. Or _worrying_ about one… it builds in waves, this feeling of urgency, nearly taking James’ breath away before crescendoing in almost harsh notes, and then slowing to a contemplative finish.

He wipes his face and pushes the door open before the Q can move on to the next piece.

“James!” Q cries, and he has just enough time to set his suitcase down before he has an armful of boffin.

“I didn’t expect you until tomorrow,” Q adds, clearly happy with the change of plans.

“I found I was impatient to be home,” James replies. “Though I wasn’t expecting a serenade. You play beautifully.”

“Oh, that’s....” he shakes his head. “I mean, it’s a very lovely [Chopin etude](https://youtu.be/TtkSbNGocBY). I quite like it. And we all need our hobb—”

“Don’t,” James interrupts, surprising Q, brushing Q’s fringe from his brow and wondering how he ever got so lucky. “Don’t diminish it. You play _beautifully_.”

It’s then Q notices the emotion in James’ eyes. He’s not crying, but he knows he was close outside and it must still show.

“Thank you,” Q responds quietly. “I missed you. It helps… when I miss you. Always has. Would you like to hear more?”

“Absolutely,” James says. “But perhaps later.”

He pulls Q into another kiss. One that shows Q how much he missed him and backs him toward the stairs and the bedroom. He’s _home_ , and for the moment, they have more important things to be doing.


End file.
